ANALYZING THE ROLE OF TEMPORARY PUBLIC SPACE: PEDESTRIAN NIGHT ON ORCHARD ROAD

Abstract

There is an increasing importance of public spaces today as we see the growth of cities. This also results in a shift towards sustainable developments to create livable cities and as such, more streets are redesign to accommodate pedestrians. Following the success of many pedestrianization schemes overseas, Singapore has also introduced pedestrianization as a planning policy since the mid 1980s. However, with land constraints, part-­time pedestrianization scheme, undertaken by Urban Redevelopment Authority was implemented. Its objective was to inject a greater vibrancy onto the streets and it is believed that the benefits of the initiative will far outweigh the costs incurred. This dissertation seeks to investigate the role of Pedestrianized Streets as temporary public space in the context of Pedestrian Night on Orchard Road. It is analyzed using the key determinants of a good public space identified in past literatures. Given that past studies are mainly concerned on the economic impacts on pedestrianization such as the retail rent and business turnover rate (Li, 1983), little has been done that focuses on the social aspects, which is the primary role of public space. The findings from both field observations and pedestrian survey sees a low utilization rate of the Pedestrian Night on Orchard Road. This could be attributed to several factors such as the lack of comfort in the design of physical environment, limited activities the initiative offers and the lack of awareness among the people. Additionally, Pedestrian Night also fail to promote social interaction between users. However, upon comparing Pedestrian Night against other alternatives of public spaces, it faired better in terms of the activities made available. Therefore, from the findings, lessons learnt are then being derived to churn out several recommendations. These recommendations could then be considered for future pedestrianized streets in Singapore.